The Lyin’ King’s America: Land of the Setting Sun

On Thursday The Lyin’ King kicked off a four-country tour of Asia with a crucial stop in Japan. Our would-be emperor met with Japanese Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe concerning agricultural products and automobiles in order to reach vital, free-trade agreements with Japan. To no one’s astonishment, The Lyin’ King failed. Spectacularly.

Despite the doublespeak that followed from a slavish press, statements orchestrated to mask the diplomatic rubble, even Reuters acknowledged the collapse at the beginning of their story on Friday: “U.S. President Barack Obama wrapped up a state visit to Japan on Friday during which he assured America’s ally that Washington would come to its defense, but failed to clinch a trade deal key to both his ‘pivot’ to Asia and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s economic reforms…‘we can’t say there’s a basic agreement,’ (Economy Minister Akira Amari) told reporters after a second day of almost around-the-clock talks failed to settle differences over farm products and cars.”

The New York Times seconded Reuters’ faint whiff of a washout and blamed the reason for it on Japanese farmers: “…Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was not able to overcome entrenched resistance from Japan’s farmers in time for the president’s visit.” If so, why did the Imperial President set out before an agreement was assured? True there is no equivalent in America for the political power the farming lobby wields in Japan. Nevertheless, doesn’t the flat-footed arrogance of The Lyin’ King signal either intentional subversion or criminal incompetence?

The Los Angeles Times published a “story” so rife with meaningless pap that it made Seinfeld’s “show about nothing” look like King Lear. They larded their paean to BAM’s shrewdness with his valueless, clichéd quotes such as:

“the United States is and always will be a Pacific nation…”

“U.S.-Japan alliance is the foundation not only for our security in the Asia-Pacific region but also for the region as a whole.”

“Now is the time for bold steps needed to reach a comprehensive agreement…”

The only surprise was that he didn’t paraphrase Kennedy by claiming that he was a sushi roll.

More amusing was the grilling the Imperial President received from press traveling with him. Although the trade agreement flop was criticized at home, National Review Online was quick to point out the hard-boiled questioning The Lyin’ King got from his press pilot fish: “In Japan on Friday, pool reporters inquired as to whether (Obama) is getting enough sleep and whether he liked the…ice-cream dessert he had at a dinner in Japan… (a) reporter asked Obama if he like the ice cream dessert in the shape of Mt. Fuji served at the state dinner. Obama nodded, saying, ‘They have the green tea at the bottom that I’ve spoken of having when I was six, and I was very pleased…It was delicious.’”

America’s failure to procure an agreement with Japan puts an enormous stumbling block in the way of a 12 nation Trans Pacific Partnership which, the Financial Times states, is “widely considered the economic backbone of Mr. Obama’s ‘pivot’ to Asia…” one of His Highness’s “two…most cherished foreign-policy projects”, according to the New York Times. The other one involves mid-east peace talks which have suffered failures at least as dismal.

The trade agreements are inextricably linked with America’s promises to have Japan’s back against mounting territorial incursion by the Red Chinese. Even the Los Angeles Times was compelled to include a sentence, buried in their piece, cautiously qualifying The Lyin’ King’s undying support for Japan’s sovereignty: “(Obama) reiterated that Washington did not take a position on competing claims of sovereignty.” Ambassador to Japan, dynasty wanna-be Carolyn Kennedy, was noticeably absent from the proceedings; not an “um” to be heard, her crowning, diplomatic qualification.

Unlike President Reagan, Barry shows up before deals are finalized, constantly guaranteeing U.S. embarrassment. Oh, he’ll bow to anything, including robots, but he seems incapable of closing a successful foreign policy deal. He showed up for the state meeting with the Japanese head of state solo, an enormous insult to the Japanese. That alone was enough to preclude any agreement. Top that off with the recent multi-million dollar trip FLOTUS took to China, Japan’s nemesis. Both actions are viewed by the respective nations as laughably weak.

What remains unspoken is that Japan has realized that The Lyin’ King is nothing but a paper tiger. Japan has had sufficient opportunity to assess what the value of America’s promises to her allies are worth under the current regime. Pomp and green tea ice cream has been their response to The Lyin’ King’s empty suit. It is to their credit that, thus far, Japan is unwilling to join the cadre of America’s allies thrown under the wheels of the next bus.